I Wish
by thewibblywobblywolf
Summary: They wish and dream and imagine, but they will never get anything if they don't work for it themselves. Spoilers for Chapter 794. Canon character-deaths.


**They wish and dream and imagine, but they will never get anything if they don't work for it themselves.**

 **Dreams**

 _I wish to know_. Ace thought, he gazed at the waves that crashed against the cliffs below.

 _I wish to be free._ Sabo thought as he climbed out the window of his room, pockets filled to the brim with stolen money, head adorned by a hat and face adorned by a grin.

 _I wish to be the Pirate King._ Luffy thought as he watched the _Red Force_ disappearing on the horizon, clucthing at the strawhat entrusted to him.

 **Needs**

 _I wish to know._ Ace thought as he turned his back on the bloodied and beaten thugs at his feet, leaving the bar with a possible answer and a growing pit in his stomach.

 _I wish to eat_. Sabo thought as he stared longingly at the mountain forest that simply _must_ contain something edible. He stood, despite the warnings the more experienced had given him.

 _I wish to not be alone_. Luffy thought as he ran after the older boys of the village, feebly asking to join their games.

 **Company**

 _I wish to know him._ Ace thought, ashamed, as he watched the boy he'd helped eat of the crocodile they'd killed together.

 _I wish he'd stay_. Sabo thought, watching sadly as the dark-haired boy turned his back and ran off deeper into the forest.

 _I wish I wasn't alone_. Luffy thought, sniffling and rubbing away tears from his eyes where he sat in the smallest nook he could find in his grandfather's empty house.

 **Moment**

 _I wish he'd leave me alone._ Ace thought annoyedly as he kicked down a tree, not even watching it roll down the valley, not particularly caring if it hit the younger boy or not as long as he was left alone.

 _I wish Ace would turn up soon_. Sabo thought, leaning against the trunk of their chosen tree.

 _I wish to be his friend._ Luffy thought as he ran into the depths of the jungle, leaving the mountain hut behind.

 **Union**

 _I wish he'd stop crying_. Ace thought, glaring at the younger boy before him.

 _I wish Ace would realise his own worth._ Sabo thought, gazing at his best friend's back, imagining the thoughts that must be passing through his head.

 _I wish to be their friend._ Luffy thought, forcing his tears away and answering Ace's strange questions.

 **Brothers**

 _I wish for them to be my brothers._ Ace thought as he snuck past the snoring Dadan to pick the lock of her liquor cabinet.

 _I wish this moment would last forever._ Sabo thought as his sakazuki cup clinked against his new brothers' own cups.

 _I wish they'll never leave me._ Luffy thought, pouring the alcohol down his throat, coughing at the burning that followed.

 **Agreement**

 _I wish I'd thought about him sooner_. Ace thought, running as quickly as his body permitted away from the elderly marine on their tails.

 _I wish the geezer wasn't so crazy._ Sabo thought belatedly, sprinting after Ace, who had taken the lead as soon as Garp had appeared.

 _I wish grandpa would stop hitting us._ Luffy thought tiredly as he was thrown into a tree.

 **Innocence**

 _I wish to see the world._ The three boys thought in unison as they all stared out over the sea from their new crow's nest in the home they'd built themselves.

 **Separated**

 _I wish I was stronger._ Ace thought, glaring holes in the back of Bluejam's head.

 _I wish for them to be safe._ Sabo thought fiercely as he stood before his father once more, the urge to escape already bubbling inside him.

 _I wish Sabo was here._ Luffy thought, pulling his hat down over his eyes.

 **Disaster**

 _I wish I'd gone after him._ Ace thought, wiping the torrent of tears from his cheeks.

 _I wish to be free._ Sabo thought as he steered his boat to avoid collision with a giant vessel.

 _I wish to be stronger_. Luffy thought, curling up on the cliff by the sea.

 **Mourning**

 _I wish Sabo was here._ Ace thought as he watched his sleeping and bandaged little brother.

 _I wish I could remember_. Sabo thought, watching the sea through the window of his new room.

 _I wish the sadness would go away._ Luffy thought, sadly watching his now sleeping big brother, reaching out an aching arm to brush the frown away from his face.

 **Anniversary**

 _I wish I could bring him back._ Ace thought, watching Luffy placing the bouquet of flowers he'd gathered on the grave they'd built years ago.

 _I wish I knew who keeps talking about me._ Sabo thought as he sneezed for the third time within five minutes.

 _I wish Sabo could hear us._ Luffy thought absentmindedly, playing with a blade of grass as he listened to Ace recounting a story from before Luffy had come to Mt. Corbo.

 **Journey**

 _I wish Sabo was setting sail too._ Ace thought as he waved and shouted to his precious little brother, hiding the pain of the memory behind a grin.

 _I wish I knew why._ Sabo thought as he felt a tug of familiarity in his gut, skimming past a grinning face adorned with freckles in the Grand Line Times.

 _I wish Sabo could see us now._ Luffy thought as he grinned and pinned the fresh wanted poster to the wall of their old room.

 **Peace**

 _I wish he could know how we're doing._ Ace thought, smiling at the grinning picture of his little brother in the paper.

 _I really wish I could know why._ Sabo thought, mildly annoyed, as the tugging in his gut came back when he skimmed past yet another dark-haired and grinning youth in the paper.

 _I wish he could see what we're doing._ Luffy thought as Nami sighed exasperatedly and stuck his wanted poster to the wall of Merry's galley.

 **War**

 _I wish I could see him become the King._ Ace thought, closing his eyes for the last time.

 _I wish I'd remembered._ Sabo thought, unable to still his sobbing as he stared at the face he'd dismissed three years ago.

 _I wish to be stronger_. Luffy thought, looking up at his new mentor, body tense and ready to train.

 **Surviving**

 _I wish he could see us now._ Sabo thought as he blasted a group pf marines with waves of fire.

 _I wish the three of us could've been together forever._ Luffy thought, looking up at his blonde big brother who guarded over him.

 **And boy do they work. They work as hard as they possibly can and then even harder yet. But not all things can be gained with hard work, and when all is said and done, they are left with nothing left to do but to wish.**

 **AN: This is what happens when you combine watching Episode of Sabo with music from Into the Woods and (ohgods) Chapter 794 *cries*. Feedback is appreciated~**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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